Unexpected
by theSoundofLiterature
Summary: Everything in life is unexpected. How will Hermione and Draco make the most of it?


Chapter One: The Arrival

Hermione Granger hated portkeys.

No matter how often she'd found herself staring at the mundane, rarely conspicuous item of magical travel, she somehow barely managed to gulp down the inevitable nausea that came with using them. She did everything in her power to avoid having to schedule one with the Ministry, but unfortunately international floo and apparition laws required security clearances that even she had not been able to obtain. And thus, she was left with two equally unsatisfying options: book a ridiculously overpriced commercial Muggle flight, or acquire her magical visa and book a portkey with the Ministry. Even 20 year old international war heroes were averse to spending that much money on a one way plane ticket, especially when magical travel felt safer and was much quicker than the Muggle variety. Hermione's post war work at the Ministry came with its benefits (reasonable first year salary not being one of them) which in turn meant relatively free travel portkey arrangements for Ministry employees, interns, and consultants. As a result, her decision, no matter how nauseous it made her, came relatively easily.

"Quick and easy" she muttered to herself as she approached the empty car park near her flat. It was a cold early January night, fog circled the skyline and a dreary mist tickled her face as she walked.

It was ten till 6 in the evening, and oddly the only thing she could hear as she pulled a small roller tote behind her, were the wheels of her tote against the pavement. The street lamps illuminated the asphalt, and her breath appeared in front of her in chilled huffs as she approached the far right corner near a small alley. Suddenly she heard a "pop" near the alley, and in front of her stood a Ministry Travel Official standing in the corner. At the tip of his feet sat a tattered umbrella.

"Ma'am" he nodded at her as she walked up to him briskly. She smiled softly in return, shaking his hand before blowing her breath against her chilled fingertips.

"Do you have your portkey registration and Ministry clearance for international Travel?" He asked.

Hermione pulled her wand from her jumper and produced the parchments he'd requested. The agent produced his own wand and performed a security incantation that for the briefest of seconds, illuminated the floating parchment in a mystifying purple light which revealed the hidden seals proving the validity of her paperwork.

"Excellent." He muttered, more to himself than to her.

"You have 1 minute before departure at which time I will instruct you to press your hand firmly to the handle of the umbrella at my feet." Hermione listened intently as he set the umbrella upright between them.

"Upon arrival at your destination you will undergo an additional arrival screening by the Magical Governing Agency now listed at the foot of your travel parchments." Hermione looked again at the floating parchment, it was no longer illuminated, but it now showed an iridescent stamp of the Ministry of Magic seal at the bottom of the paper along with what she supposed was the seal for her country of destination.

"Those are your legal documents for travel." He stated as he pulled his wand out to fold them back neatly and seal them. He handed them back to Hermione as he continued his instructions.

"Should you wish to apply for temporary or permanent residence in your country of arrival, you must advise the Magical Agency representative of that respective country when you arrive to your destination." Hermione nodded.

"Any questions? You have 30 seconds remaining before departure." Hermione had done her research for months in preparation for this complete upheaval of the life she had become so familiar with. In short...no she did not have any further questions.

"All'right then ma'am, 10 seconds."

"9...8...7...6...5...4...3...2..."

Hermione braced herself as best she could for the complete somersault she knew her body would surely undergo. She held firmly to her roller tote and her wits, as the Ministry agent counted down to one. He nodded at her to extend her hand, and all of a sudden she was gripping the wooden curved handle of an old unremarkable umbrella.

Suddenly everything inverted within itself, her stomach flattened, her ribs squeezed themselves into a pretzel, reality as it currently seemed, ceased to exist. Within the blink of an eye, Hermione Granger had disappeared. The agent puffed hot air into the cupped palms of his hands and collected the now ordinary umbrella, pocketing it quickly in his work issue trench-coat.

"Freezing me bollocks right off" he muttered to himself grudgingly before apparating in a sudden "pop."Nearby a car alarm sounded, most likely from the jolt of magical apparition; the only evidence that anyone had even been in that car park at all.

—

In that exact moment, a slender young man in black dress robes stood in an elegantly decorated, but otherwise empty hall, staring at the ornate mantle of a fireplace. The infamous marbled Malfoy crest was etched into the face of the mantle, the young man stared at it as the fire roared before him. His hair was tapered on the sides, with the top kept long. He had grown into the habit of combing it back, leaving a few tendrils to fall across his gray eyes. Gone was the fringe and softness of his adolescence. In its place were an angled jaw, and the texture of thick blonde hair growing along his sternum and jawline. Long gone was the Draco Malfoy of old, in his place stood a young man on the brink of evolution; fatherless, and weary beyond his twenty years.

After the Battle of Hogwarts, his life became a surrealist oddity, inconceivable, and far from the reality he grew to expect. His father, a notable Death Eater, was given a choice at his sentencing: A life's term in Azkaban, or the dementor's kiss. Lucius Malfoy was anything if not prideful, and a life of misery and pain was seen as weakness over the soulless alternative. The day of the sentencing was the last in which Draco saw his father alive. The dilated emptiness in Lucius' gray eyes and the chill that engulfed the Wizengamot chambers, will haunt him in his dreams for a lifetime. It was Draco's mother Narcissa, who fought for what remained to be salvaged of the Malfoy name and assets.

Reparations.

Paid by the families of known and sentenced Death Eaters. Fifty percent of the Malfoy holdings were liquidated after legal proceedings. In return Narcissa retained the manor, its employed inhabitants, as well as the fifteen percent shares owed to herself, and Draco of the Malfoy trust fund. Fifteen percent seemed like very little, but once Draco received his settlement balance from Gringott's following the hearing, he was immediately thankful for his mother - she was wiser than he could have ever estimated.

For two years, Draco had managed to invest much of his small fortune, and in the process, he learned quite a lot about international finance. He was on the brink of expanding his brand into a legitimate wizarding private holdings fund, but felt as though he needed a bit more experience and knowledge under his belt, more than the books in his family library could offer at least.

It was through an investment colleague from the Ministry, that he'd heard wind of a new Ministry program for Hogwarts graduates and sixth year Battle of Hogwarts survivors who'd achieved no less than four Outstandings (in Arithmancy, Ancient Runes, Potions, Transfiguration, and History of Magic _or_ Muggle Studies no less) on their OWL'S. The program was cleverly called: "The Trans-Magical Abroad Degree Programme." It consisted of a 3-step application process and interview, which culminated in the ability to enroll in a 2-year accelerated dual Muggle/Magic degree program at one of three qualifying institutions. The degree options were a choice of: International Law, Finance, or Business, with courses at St. Andrews in Scotland, Cambridge University in England, or Harvard University in Massachusetts, USA. Certainly, there weren't many students who could manage the academic prestige needed to qualify for the application; and even less who could have managed the grueling and invasive interview process...but somehow Draco Malfoy was selected. It was the Ministry's attempt at educational diversity following the fall of Voldemort. There were few wizards interested in obtaining a Muggle degree, however Draco knew that as the times changed, so did the need for a diverse array of qualifications. He was the least likely candidate, and it thrilled him that he would have a chance to start over, outside of England, and away from the peering eyes and inquisitive onlookers that followed the tarnished Malfoy name everywhere.

It was on this night, the night before his enrollment, as he stared into the fireplace in the hall of his childhood home, that Draco felt unease for the first time since the death of his father. However, it did not do well for him to dwell on the failings of a man he once admired more than life itself; a man whose once glorified teachings had turned to brittled resentment in the eyes of his prodigal son.

Draco could hear the footsteps of someone approaching him from behind. Their steps were soft and purposeful. Within moments, he could smell the soft lavender of his mother's perfume.

"Hello, Mother." He said softly, he turned to place a kiss briskly against her cheek. It was early evening, her hair was down and she wore silk night robes. She turned to face him.

"It always surprises me, how much you look like your father..." she whispered.

"I hope physical resemblance is all that you see of him in me."

"Draco...darling." Narcissa paused to search her son's eyes, the firelight danced within their grey depths.

"You are nothing like your father."

Draco sighed, but the weight of her words eased the sadness that was pooling in his chest, and he was grateful for her. A few silent moments passed, and then the grandfather clock in the hall struck six. A slender man suddenly apparated into the room, his coat wore the Ministry of Magic seal, he was followed almost immediately by an Auror. The apparition wards were momentarily suspended at the manor to allow for Draco's scheduled Floo. Draco smiled sadly at his mother as the two men approached the fireplace.

"Gentlemen" he regarded them calmly.

"Mr. Malfoy." The Ministry Official stated in return.

"We have presented at this predetermined location for the purpose of regulation of the International Floo Administration. And to ensure all security clearances and travel parchments are met. As is custom, I am joined by an Auror to facilitate." At that point, the Auror, who was rather stocky, produced his Ministry Badge and wand.

"Gallagher." He gruffed as he approached Draco and Narcissa.

"Please present your parchments, and wand." Draco handed everything over as Auror Gallagher passed incantations over all of the materials. Several minutes passed as Gallagher cleared Draco's wand and security travel visa.

"Clear." The Auror handed Draco back all of his belongings before passing his wand over Draco's robes to scan for illegal or unregulated items.

"Body's clear."

"Mr. Malfoy you are cleared for travel." Stated the Ministry Official. The Auror stepped aside as the official reached into his long coat pocket and pulled a handful of floo powder from its depths. He threw it carefully into the fireplace, which erupted in green flames. Draco turned to his Mother again, they didn't do hugs, and so he met her eyes with his own, trying to speak all of the things his lips were unable to say. She smiled at him softly as he walked into the flames. Once he was securely surrounded by cooled fire, the Ministry Official nodded and began to speak.

"International Floo Code: 00341-Alpha Zeta cleared for departure. Boston MACUSA Cambridge satellite headquarters." Suddenly the ground below Draco's feet fell away in a tremendous spin, within seconds long gone were the green flames of the Floo or Draco Malfoy. Narcissa sighed at the now empty fireplace.

"Goodnight Ma'am" Auror Gallagher said before he and the Ministry Official apparated just as quickly as they had when they'd arrived.

Narcissa Malfoy stared intently at the golden dying flames, her eyes twinkling in the soft firelight in the now empty main hall. She touched her fingertips to the Malfoy Crest on the mantle, before turning on her feet to ascend the grand staircase to her rooms. A shimmer surrounded the Manor in a brief light as the apparation wards once again set themselves in place.

—

Hermione swayed slightly on her feet as the world around her came into focus. She clutched the handle of her tote in a firm grip, as sudden waves of nausea coiled in the pit of her stomach. She grimaced, a few beads of sweat appeared on her forehead. She looked to her immediate right, and noticed the exposed brick and mortar walls of her surroundings. There were people all around, speaking in various languages as they apparated, and portkeyed into various designated lanes. A man stood at a station directly in front of her, and motioned for her to step up to a small outlined square on the floor.

"Stand in the marked ward zone please. Paperwork, and country of origin." Hermione stood in the indicated area and procured her parchments.

"England." She stated.

"Granger, Hermione?" He asked her as he perused her parchments. When she nodded, he drew his wand and passed them over her documents, once again they illuminated in a brief aura of light. And just as quickly a ward appeared around her, outlined by the square on the floor that she was standing within.

"The clearance ward scans for illnesses, false testimony, dark or banned artifacts, and _priori incantatem_, it should take a few moments." Hermione nodded as she felt the familiar zing of Magic around her. Once the ward cleared, it glowed green and disappeared.

"You are now clear for arrival into the United States, Mrs. Granger. At this time you may request paperwork for your student magical visa, or resident status."

"I'm here for educational purposes, and should be cleared for a student visa by the Ministry of Magic and MACUSA." The customs agent reviewed her parchments again, scanning them over with his wand. He took note of the MACUSA resident identification number below the seals and nodded. A green stamp appeared across the bottom left of the papers and he handed them back to her.

"Great, you're all set ma'am. Welcome to Boston, and enjoy your stay." Hermione thanked him, pocketed her parchments, and took off toward the exit point. She was grateful that no one really noticed her here, not even the customs agent. It was a welcome calm. Hermione approached the exit, which consisted of a row of old pay phones, at each booth where a traditional Muggle phone book usually laid, instead sat magical brochures and maps of the magical communities in and near Boston. People walked past her to booths and she watched as they lifted the old receivers in their hands and just as quickly vanished. She followed suit, grabbing a few maps and then the receiver of a well used pay phone, and as soon as she lifted it to her ear, she too had gone.

She blinked and found herself on the pavement of a cold and busy street near Quincy Market. The air was crisp and it seemed much colder here than it did just moments ago in that empty car park. Snow was plowed and packed against the pavement as cars whizzed by. Hermione gripped her wand in her jumper as she braced against the wind chill. She could remember during her application process her interviewer saying:

"Mrs. Granger, should you be accepted into the Trans Muggle Degree Programme it is required that you abide by typical Muggle modes of living during courses and studies. During leisure time you are permitted travel to nearby Magical Communites."

Hermione thought back on her acceptance letter and commitment response. She would have loved to use Magic and apparated to nearby Cambridge, but found she felt a typical Muggle arrival would be much safer. She was lucky she spotted a vacant taxi parked on the corner near the market, it was deathly cold out, and she was not properly dressed for the snow. She caught the drivers attention rather quickly, and loaded her herself and her tote into the warm backseat.

"Where to?" He asked gruffly.

"1512 Willard Street, Cambridge." The taxi driver nodded and set off. Meanwhile, no more than fifteen minutes away, Draco Malfoy sat in his newly appointed MACUSA housing off campus. His clearances provided him direct Floo to the Cambridge offices of MACUSA and he had received an Auror escort to his housing. Currently he was seated at a rather plain desk in his quarters, staring out of his window overlooking the Harvard grounds. The ground was covered in snow, and he watched with interest as Muggle students his age and older walked around the campus. He flicked his wand, unpacking all of his belongings in a single motion. A Harvard program pamphlet sat on his desk, the MACUSA seal in the corner. He opened it, and set to reading his itinerary.

January 13th, 2000

6:00pm: Uncommon Fare - Dinner with Maeve Caldwell and

Class Introductions **Location:** _Harvard Faculty Club_

January 14th, 2000

Program Orientation & Tour **Location** _Richard A. and Susan R. Smith_

_Campus Center_

January 17th, 2000

Classes Begin _Schedule Provided at Orientation_

Draco was pleased with the opportunity, but loathed social events, it didn't take long for people to recognize either his steely gray gaze and platinum hair, or his last name. It caused him to avoid any interactions that required him to blindly place himself within a room of unfamiliars. It was currently just past 2:00pm in Boston, but the chill caused a dreary overcast effect as flurries skated by his bedroom window. He decided he would shower and rest - perhaps with a copy of the Daily Prophet from that morning as he waited until it was time for dinner with whom he supposed was his counselor and/or professor.

The shower was warm but the water was much harder here than he'd expected. And to be fair the MACUSA housing that he was given was a far stretch from the finer things he had for so long taken complete advantage of. The W.C. was plain and empty, simple loo with a stand sink and bath/shower combination. He noted unusually that there didn't seem to be a bidet. The mirror above the sink had small smears of paint around the framing, possibly as a result of re-painting between tenants. Just outside of his bathrooms was his bedroom/study, consisting of: a double bed, closet space, a night table and a desk with chair in the corner. Just past the bedroom was the kitchen, his flat was a studio layout, but he was quite comfortable considering the limitations. He felt that in all of his time living in the Manor, it was so large that he never fully felt like he belonged, or that any space was truly his own. His dormitories in the Slytherin dungeons, though small and shared, always felt much more comfortable to him. As he walked out of the shower he grabbed his wand off of the lip of the sink and swished it. The duvet and pillows of his bed turned black with emerald accents, and a Slytherin tapestry appeared and hung itself from the ceiling behind the bed. He transfigured a shirt of his into a black rug and settled it at the foot of his bed. Boston, wasn't too bad he thought, as he set to brushing his teeth.

—

Hermione's taxi arrived at the address in Cambridge. She looked out of the window at a small row of houses, the one at the listing she was parked in front of looked relatively plain compared to all of the rest. She spotted Longfellow Park down the street and around the corner, and noticed that she was within walking distance to the School of Education. She paid the taxi driver with the only Muggle money she had, of which she exchanged in London several days before her portkey to USD. He nodded at her and waited for her to exit the car before driving off down the road. Hermione grabbed her tote, and wrapped her arms around her waist to protect from the cold. She approached a simple red door and knocked on it twice, immediately the familiar zing of Magic coursed from her extended fist and into her arms. She new the MACUSA Cambridge offices were rather small, as it was only a satellite but she was aware that most likely there were Aurors nearby; she could feel the presence of eyes on her. The door opened, and a young woman answered, her accent stood out because it didn't sound anything like the rest of American accents she'd heard since arriving. This woman sounded like she was from a state much further south than here.

"How can I help you?" She asked impatiently.

"My name is Hermione Granger...I'm here for enrollment." The woman scanned her over with sharp eyes for several seconds and then opened the door. Hermione stepped into a small, minimally decorated foyer.

"Follow me." Hermione did as she was told. She followed the woman down a hallway toward what could only be described as the door to a basement. Hermione watched as she removed a small wand from her coat and tapped it to the large oak door. Immediately the interior of the house fell away to expose an expansive set of offices and cubicles. Aurors whizzed by as memos flew through the air around her head. They walked past a row of cubicles as inquisitive eyes followed. They stopped at an enclosed office, the name Reese Weathers was inscribed across the glass door. The woman who walked her there opened the door to speak to a small woman who was seated at a large desk behind a stack of overflowing parchments.

"Weathers, it's Fleming, I have Hermione Granger here for you." At the mention of her name, Hermione could hear the silence fall over the offices, followed by the inevitable sound of whispers. Auror Weathers stood from her desk and walked around her papers to greet them, her hair was gray along the sides but she had kind eyes.

"Hermione, welcome to Cambridge. Glad you made it here without issue." Hermione greeted her in return, shaking her hand politely.

"Yes, of course. It was a lovely drive over, I was instructed to meet here so that I could present for my housing assignment." Auror Weathers nodded, and reached over to her desk for a packet and a set of keys. She handed them both over to Hermione.

"Here is your MACUSA orientation packet, everything you need is listed inside, and here are the keys to your dormitory. You're staying right down the way from our offices here, one block over on Foster Street. The dormitories are pretty basic, but should have everything you need, the rest of your program members are housed there as well. So Magic is permitted as long as you are within the lot. There are wards set up, so there should be little if any no-mage interference."

"No-Mage?" Hermione asked.

"Non magical beings...what do you call them where you're from?" Auror Weathers looked at her curiously.

"Muggles." Weathers smiled at that, shaking her head.

"Muggles...interesting."

"Indeed." Hermione muttered in return. She turned to face the other Auror who had led her down to the basement, Fleming was her name.

"Fleming will escort you to your housing. And Hermione, please don't be a stranger." Hermione thanked Weathers and followed Fleming back through the offices and into the very ordinary house.

"Grab my arm Mrs. Granger." Fleming stated in that very pronounced southern drawl. And with a "pop" they had apparated to the inside of a rather plain looking studio flat, with another "pop" Fleming was gone, and Hermione was left to investigate her new home for the next 4 terms. It was quaint, she had a desk and a bookcase along with a double bed and some basic appliances in the kitchen. It was just before 3:00pm and so she set quickly to decorating her space before hoping into the shower. She was aware that she had a dinner tonight for the program, and spent much of the rest of her afternoon settling in and preparing. She was buzzing with excitement...she was officially at Harvard.

At half past 5, Hermione was dressed in a pair of dark denim jeans and boots. Her hair, tamed after her shower, flowed in minimal curly waves to frame her neck. She paired it all with a cream sweater and a wide belt to match the boots she had chosen. Hermione never liked wearing makeup, but after discovering potions and tips for her hair, she equally discovered simple self care techniques to manage her skin. Tonight she chose a light rose scented moisturizer and a finishing spray that would naturally brighten her skin. She donned her winter coat, a scarf, and glove, and set out to the Faculty Club for dinner with Maeve Caldwell. As she arrived she was directed to a small sitting room with one long table showing six seats, it was already set with china and candlelight. Several people had already arrived, they idled anxiously by the appetizer bar. Hermione approached them, a polite smile on her lips as she removed her coat to hang it on a nearby coat rack.

"Good evening." She said as she extended her hand. The young man to her right was caught mid bite into a crostini, he coughed and wiped his hand on the side of his pants and smiled nervously in return as he shook Hermione's outstretched palm.

"Hi, sorry...you caught me in total fat ass mode. I'm Tanner." The woman to Tanner's left smiled and shook Hermione's hand as well. She had a heart shaped face with glasses and dark brown hair that framed her face in natural bouncy curls.

"Isla Drake." She smiled politely.

"Hermione Granger, pleased to meet you both." Tanner took that moment to choke on the olive he'd just popped into his mouth. He coughed loudly and almost dropped the glass of sparkling water in his other hand. And before either of them could string together full words and sentences, another student entered the sitting room. Before she could turn to greet them she caught Isla's wide shocked eyes focusing on the person who was surely approaching. Hermione turned on her heel as Tanner barely composed himself enough to look up. Walking up to them was a tall young man in a slim well fitting dark navy suit. His blonde hair was short and faded on the sides, but the top was long, combed back in a familiar coif that reminded Hermione so much of her adolescence. The man walking toward her had a light shadow, and the gray of his eyes steeled as they settled directly on the light brown of her own.

"Malfoy." Was all she managed as their eyes met. The room around them at a complete standstill.

"Granger." He bit through gritted teeth.


End file.
